Nuclear steam generators used in pressurized water reactors, for example, are subject to the accumulation of feedwater impurities. Although the feedwater is maintained at a high level of purity, minute concentrations of corrosion products and/or feedwater impurities may be concentrated in the flow stream, consequently leading to buildup of these materials within the steam generator as the water is converted into steam. These deposits will eventually degrade the thermal hydraulic performance of the component.
To increase the heat transfer capabilities of the steam generator, the thickness of the deposits, as well as the locations of the deposits, must be determined such that removal techniques may be implemented. Currently, visual inspections and eddy current inspections are utilized to ascertain locations and approximate thickness of material. These techniques, however, are prone to error. Moreover, visual inspections introduce a significant radiological risk to workers if the steam generator is connected to a nuclear power generation system.
There is therefore a need to provide a system that will determine the thickness of deposit accumulations as well as the location of those accumulations on the heating surfaces of a steam generator.
There is also a need to provide a system that will determine the accumulations of deposits on the heating surfaces of the steam generator, while minimizing the need for worker ingress into a potentially radioactive environments.